Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Android Community

Android Community

HTC DLX 5-inch phablet reportedly leaks for Verizon

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:42 AM PDT

If you’ve been watching the news lately and hoping to see more of HTC’s recently announced 5-inch 1080p smartphone powerhouse you’ll want to stay tuned. This weekend the HTC 5-inch phablet reportedly leaked into the wild complete with Verizon branding and 4G LTE logos. Lets take a quick look below.

Now we know many of you were hoping this 5-inch smartphone would arrive for another carrier and not Verizon, and chances are it still could hit other carriers here in the US. Personally, we were hoping for an HTC Nexus 5 — which could potentially still be a possibility. The term HTC “DLX” or dlx has been floating around for a few weeks, and we might finally be seeing it in the flesh today.

The folks from Android Central supposedly have some leaked pictures showing off the HTC J Butterfly for Verizon as the HTC DLX — pronounced Deluxe — but that could still be lowercase and stand for DROID Incredible X. The device pictured looks almost exactly the same as the Butterfly in Taiwan other than a few tweaks, and the odd square by the camera and a few changes to the rear have the images in question. Whether the photos are real or not isn’t known, but it’s pretty safe to say the DLX or Incredible X is indeed coming soon to Verizon.

The specs have leaked out a few times and almost mirror the device announced by HTC late last week. That being a 5-inch 1920 x 1080p full HD SLCD 3 display. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8 or 13 megapixel camera on the rear. The important thing here is according to the leak Verizon’s model will have a 2,500 mAh battery. We still aren’t sure on micro-SD support or not, but hopefully HTC will reveal the details soon. Rumors are still slating this for a mid November release date. Who’s interested?

LG Optimus L9 hits T-Mobile October 31 for $79.99

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 09:44 AM PDT

Today T-Mobile has confirmed when customers will be able to pickup the new budget-friendly LG Optimus L9 smartphone from the carrier. After a few leaks it was announced earlier this month by both parties. The folks from T-Mobile have just confirmed October 31st the smartphone will be in stores and online.

It looks like T-Mobile is aiming for the budget crowd with this new LG smartphone, both in specs and pricing. The Optimus L9 comes complete with a 4.5-inch qHD 540×960 resolution IPS display, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. With the L9 user will get the high end looks of LG’s recent smartphones, with specs to offer it at a competitive price.

Other specs include a 1.0 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 1GB of RAM to keep things smooth and speedy, 8GB of internal storage and micro-SD support. Then as far as cameras you’ll be working with a 5 megapixel shooter on the rear, and 1.3 front for self portraits and video chat. Battery life should be great with a 2,150 mAh battery under the hood.

Starting October 31st the Optimus L9 on T-Mobile can be yours for just $79.99 after a $50 mail in rebate and a new 2-year contract. Alternatively T-Mobile is also offering their equipment installment plan where customers can pay $49 up front then $15 monthly for the device over the next 20 months — but that is on top of your regular monthly phone bill. Head to a T-Mobile store near you come October 31st to check out this new budget option.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : Optimus L9
    Manufactuer : LG
    Carrier : NA
    Announced Date : August 29, 2012
    Release Date : TBA
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.5 Inch
  • Resolution : 540x960
  • Screen Type : IPS LCD
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.19 Inch
  • Width : 2.68 Inch
  • Depth : 0.36 Inch
  • Weight : 125 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 2150 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • 3GP
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
  • WMV
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
  • IM
Hardware
    CPU : MSM8225
    CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 4 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • A2DP
    Location Features:
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

Isis arrives in Salt Lake City and Austin

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:32 AM PDT

If you’ve been closely watching the development of Isis Mobile Wallet, you’ll be pleased to know that the service launched in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas today. Even better is the news that nine handsets are supporting Isis from the start, so you’ve got some options when it comes to picking an Isis-ready phone. Since Isis is a team up between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, all you need to do is stop in at one of their stores and pick up your Isis-supported handset (provided you live in Salt Lake City or Austin, of course).


Along with the nine Isis-supported handsets that are available today, 11 more should be launching in next couple of months, meaning that there will be 20 Isis-ready phones by the end of the year. That certainly isn’t bad, and it shows that the people behind Isis are serious about getting the service supported. They’re going to need that support too, as Isis will be going head-to-head with Google Wallet.

Of course, the fact that your phone supports Isis doesn’t much matter if there aren’t any retailers that actually let you pay with the service. Luckily, the announcement today claims that there are “hundreds” of locations around Austin and Salt Lake City that are ready to accept your Isis payment – a full list of retailers can be found at the official Isis site. Isis will work with your American Express, Capital One, or Chase credit cards, and you’ll even get a $10 Isis card when you activate your wallet. You’ll get another $15 on the house when you make the Isis card reloadable (presumably by putting more money on it).

The Isis launch will definitely be exciting for some, but so far, mobile payments are having a hard time winning over consumers. Perhaps with this Isis push and the “rise” of Google Wallet, more consumers will begin adopting mobile as a way to pay for their purchases? We personally love the idea, but we’ll have to wait and see if it takes off with mainstream consumers. Stay tuned.

LG confirms existence of LG Nexus 4

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:24 AM PDT

Earlier today, we reported that the details from Google’s event have come out, and among that news was the LG Nexus 4. Well, to go along with that LG has confirmed the existence of the device. They also confirmed that Google will be announcing the device, and most of the details that go along with it, at the press event on October 29.

“Google will unveil the LG Nexus on October 29 and the phone will be available in the Indian markets by the end of November,” LG Mobile Product Planning head Amit Gujral said. His quote did not confim release timing for regions outside India, but we are quite sure Google will announce that information at the upcoming event.

The LG executive also talked about some of the specifications of the device, and they definitely match up with the reports we’ve been hearing over the last couple of weeks. It will have a 4.7-inch screen, as we expected. He also confirmed that the device will run Android 4.2 and have a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor.

There are plenty of other rumors on the specs for this device. We’ve heard 2GB of RAM, a 1280×768 resolution, an 8-megapixel camera, and a non-removable battery. The rest of these rumors will come to an end on the 29th, and of course, we will keep you posted on everything that happens at the event as it happens.

[via IBN Live]

Apps used by millions of users susceptible to email and password theft

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 07:34 AM PDT

A new security breach has been found in many Android apps that could compromise users’ email accounts, bank information, and social networking credentials. The cause of this is inadequate encryption protections, according to a new research study. This could cause some serious security concerns for users of these apps.



In all, there are 41 apps called to attention in this study. Sadly, the researchers did not cite specific applications that have this weakness, but they did say the apps in question have been downloaded somewhere between 39.5 million and 185 million times, based on Google’s statistics. This could definitely be something Android users need to keep an eye on, as broadcasting your private data to malicious individuals is never a good thing.

The researchers said that Google could take steps to prevent this from happening, but they did not say whether any of the apps in question were developed by Google directly. They did say that in their testing they were able to get “bank account information, payment credentials for PayPal, American Express and others.” They were also able to get access to “Facebook, email and cloud storage credentials and messages . . . access to IP cameras was gained and control channels for apps and remote servers.”

The researches downloaded 13,500 free apps from Google Play to perform its testing. Unfortunately, without specific apps listed, it’s hard for Android users to know which apps they should worry about. There’s no guarantee that your information will be compromised even if you use these apps, but it certainly something to keep your eye on when using an app that requires access to your private information.

[via ArsTechnica]

Samsung to say bye bye to LCD relationship with Apple

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 07:01 AM PDT

Samsung and Apple have what could be described as a rocky relationship. One of them is suing the other for one reason or another once a week, or so it seems. Well now, it seems that Samsung is cutting the one friendly relationship with Apple they had left. They have decided to discontinue the LCD supplier relationship they had with Apple starting next year.



Samsung cites insufficient margins from Apple’s supply pricing strategy. Apple has been scaling back on using Samsung in its LCD supply, so for Samsung, the relationship has not been nearly as profitable as it used to be. Of course, those reasons could be Samsung putting a civil spin on the fact that it’s just not a fan of Apple.

Samsung is making up for the loss with its consumer electronics division and from selling LCDs to Amazon. The sales from these should keep Samsung plenty busy, and easily fill the void from the relationship with Apple, who has been getting many of its screens from LG and Sharp recently anyway. Of course, Samsung also has plenty of its own devices to make screens for, such as the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.

With the last friendly part of Samsung and Apple’s relationship coming to a close, let’s just hope the patent lawsuits don’t go to another level. It should be interesting to see where the Samsung and Apple relationship goes over the coming months, especially into next year when they are no longer working together for LCDs. We will keep you posted on all things Samsung and Apple as it happens.

[via TechCrunch]

Samsung’s flexible AMOLED delayed until 2013

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 06:30 AM PDT

Samsung has decided to push back its new flexible AMOLED displays. Samsung is seeing so much success with its traditional glass AMOLED displays, they don’t seem too concerned with getting the flexible screens to market quickley. During production, Samsung ran into some mass production problems, which made it impossible for them to hit the previously hinted at Q3 2012 release originally hinted at.



Some of Samsung’s most popular phones, such as the Galaxy S III, use Samsung’s glass AMOLED display. Samsung’s recently released Galaxy Note II also uses the screen technology. Samsung seems to be having no trouble keeping up with the demand for the screens on these devices.

In fact, production of glass displays is actually one of the reasons for the delay in the flexible screens. Samsung is hoping to increase production from around 56,000 units per month to 64,000 units. Obviously, Samsung will have to redirect much of its resources to plastic, which is the material used to make the flexible AMOLED displays.

Obviously, Samsung could do some creative things with a flexible display. It does not seem as though they are planning to make phones that bend in half. One possible use for the bending screens is having the display wrap around the top, so users could look at the time and other information while the phone is still sitting in their pocket. Hopefully, Samsung gets these screens in production soon, because they could open up some awesome doors for smartphones that we have not seen before.

[via SlashGear]

Can’t wait until October 29th? Details leak on Google’s event: LG Nexus 4, Jelly Bean 4.2 and more

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 05:36 AM PDT

October 29 is right around the corner, and all will be revealed from Google. Actually, it looks like all has been revealed a little sooner, at least according to TheNextWeb. It looks like many of the rumors we’ve been reporting over the last couple weeks are actually true, which always makes us happy.



The biggest piece of news has to be the inclusion of the LG Nexus 4 and the fact that it actually exists. As expected, it will be based on the LG Optimus G. The phone will have a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 display, a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. It will also be the first phone to use Android 4.2 which is not known as Key Lime Pie, as many expected. While it will still be called Jelly Bean, it will have some new features such as a new widget for Google Play content and the ability to have multiple user accounts on a single tablet. Android 4.2 will also include a new panorama mode for the camera that allows both horizontal and vertical panning.

It also appears that Google will be announcing a new 10-inch Samsung tablet. This tablet, which has been code named “Manta,” is expected to use a 2560 x 1600 display. We assume the name will be changed to Nexus, to keep with the naming conventions users are accustomed to.

The leaked plans include the 32GB Nexus 7, which may well be the worst kept secret in the history of technology. It seems like everyone and their mother knew this device existed, but Google will make it official on the 29th. What we did not hear nearly as much about is the 3G version of the Nexus 7, but it appears as though Google will announce that as well. We will have to wait until the event to find out what Google will offer in terms of data plans for this 3G version of its tablet.

[via SlashGear]

Android Community Weekly: October 21st, 2012

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 02:46 PM PDT

Welcome to another Android Community weekly wrap-up of everything that mattered to us in the world of Android news. Where do we start? It was another hectic and exciting week in Android news, and next week will be even crazier. We’ll start with Google, since they had two major bits of news. The first being Google’s officially scheduled an Android event for October 29th, so be ready for some Android 4.2 and Nexus news next Monday. Read on below for the rest from Google, HTC, Motorola and more.

Google’s Nexus 7 tablet has been in the news all week. We expect it to be one of the many bits Google will release to all us Android fans come the 29th. We’ve basically confirmed a 32GB Nexus 7 is $249, replacing the 16GB model, which will hopefully drop to $199 and knock off that 8GB model that is too short on storage. Then there’s a major possibility of a 3G HSPA+ Nexus 7 for $299 or $349 — but you’ll just have to wait and see. As we said on Friday, Google’s Nexus 7 is poised to take on the iPad Mini. Oh and while we’re talking about the Nexus tablet lineup. Google’s getting ready to drop a Samsung made ultra-HD 2560×1600 resolution Nexus 10 — and it’s even out in the wild being tested.

In other Android news Motorola and HTC both had exciting weeks. The Motorola RAZR HD finally hit Verizon shelves, and you’ll want to check out our RAZR HD Review. If you’re debating the RAZR HD, the MAXX HD, or even the budget RAZR M you certainly should take a peek at our full comparison. Speaking of Motorola, all their recently launched devices have root access. Good stuff right? Then for the bad stuff — Motorola announced what devices won’t see Jelly Bean right here.

While we’re on the Jelly Bean topic, Sony also announced their Jelly Bean update timeline. At the same time even more international Galaxy S III’s are getting the Jelly Bean update too. Now lets talk about the next juicy bit of hardware we are all patiently waiting to arrive — and that is HTC’s new phablet. HTC officially announced the J Butterfly 5-inch 1920x1080p full HD smartphone. It is a 5-inch powerhouse with a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and basically top of the line everything. Immediately the HTC Nexus 5 rumors appeared — and eclipsed the LG Nexus 4.

Now before we end there’s a few little tidbits that were also worth a quick mention. ISIS Mobile Wallet is officially coming October 22nd (tomorrow) and we reviewed the Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL and that’s worth a quick look too, even though it isn’t available stateside. Google released a Samsung made and Exynos 5 dual Cortex-A15 powered Google Chromebook for $249 — which is making a splash for the price — and SlashGear has a full review. Last but certainly not least, Angry Birds Star Wars is coming early November. Just for fun check out this StormTrooper teaser video. Next week we have tons of events coming up that may impact Android. While we try to focus on Android news here at Android Community, it’s worth noting that we keep an eye on the competition. The iPad Mini, Windows Phone 8, and multiple Win 8 tablets are all having big days this coming week. Don’t worry though, Google’s 29th event will take care of business.

Stay tuned and get excited guys!
Posted by at 12:16 AM 0 comments

Monday, October 22, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority

HTC’s 8X and Nokia’s Lumia 920 now priced thanks to Best Buy

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:44 AM PDT

Windows Phone 8 is going to launch next week. It’s going to be an important event because Microsoft is desperately trying to show the world that they can compete with the present day duopoly that is Android and iOS. From what we’ve seen of the platform thus far, there’s nothing to be too concerned about.

Focusing on the devices however, there’s two flagship phones that we’ve been keeping our eyes on: HTC’s 8X and Nokia’s Lumia 920. Starting with the latter, it’s gorgeous, it’s the world’s first smartphone to ship with optical image stabilization, and it has an ultra sensitive touch screen that works even if you’re wearing a thick pair of gloves. The 8X is also an amazing device, perhaps even more so, because it packs a 720p screen that measures just 4.3 inches across. Translation: Incredible sharpness, and the perfect form factor.

We didn’t know how much these two phones were going to cost, until now that is. Over the weekend, Best Buy put these two handsets up for pre-order on their site. The 8X, with 8 GB of on-board storage, costs just $99 with a 2 year contract. The Lumia 920, which ships with 32 GB of on-board store, is just $50 more. Both devices are on AT&T.

Does the Android ecosystem have anything to be scared of? Not really. The Galaxy S III can already be had for $99 or even less if you buy it with a coupon. Samsung’s latest flagship device, the Galaxy Note II, is an incredible $299, but that’s going to come down really fast. The Optimus G will be a more manageable $199, and pretty soon we’ll find out how much the Nexus version is.

It goes without saying that despite this site being called Android Authority, we like to keep up with what’s going on with other platforms. Good ideas about how a mobile OS should operate, regardless of where the originated, are good ideas. Period. Android simply has more good ideas than the other guys.

Related Posts

Samsung promises to open up its Exynos chipset some more

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:22 AM PDT

Many developers are shying away from working their magic on Exynos-based devices due to Samsung's reluctance to share proper documentation and source code for its chipset. Following its promise to come up with a solution, it seems Samsung is ready to open its Exynos playground – albeit partially.

During the Big Android BBQ event yesterday, where Samsung's Exynos division was around to hold a Q&A session, the company faced quite a grilling from the developer community. As reported by XDA-developers, here's the outcome of the discussion.

  • Samsung has set up an Exynos Developer Board (origenboard) to support the devs community
  • The division is working with Insignal, Inc. to provide proprietary binaries that allows full system development on Exynos devices
  • Open source for the Kernel and Platform (HAL, OMX, Framework patches)
  • The source code will be made available under GPLv2 and Apache 2.0
  • Mali GPU dev support will be provided

XDA-developers

The spree of possible good news doesn't end there, because Samsung apparently will also provide Git server access starting next month, as well as launch a dedicated website for the origenboard.

While it's not exactly the breakthrough that some developers were hoping for, it's a good starting point. The community is now waiting for Samsung to turn its words into actions. Do you believe that Samsung will bring the goods?

Related Posts

Google’s latest Chromebook to skip Asia for now

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:18 AM PDT

When the first Samsung Chromebook was released, the exorbitant cost of the simplified notebook was one of the factors that kept it from gaining traction in the market. The launch of the 2012 Chromebook removes that issue, as it now comes with a more affordable $249 price tag. Meanwhile, a 3G variant of the laptop will reportedly sell for $329.99 with a two-year contract.

The new price point and design – it's lighter and more attractive than ever – means that the browser-based laptop won't have any problem finding fans across the globe, but it seems Google isn't ready yet to take it on a world tour. The new Chromebook will be offered only in the U.S. and UK, where interested customers can already preorder it online.

One region that won't see the 2012 Chromebook anytime soon – if ever — is Asia. According to Cnet, the search engine giant has confirmed that it's currently not interested in bringing the Chrome OS laptop to this part of the world.

This means Asian folks will miss out on the 11.6-inch display laptop with 1.7GHz Exynos 5 dual processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB onboard storage, 3-in-1 card reader, 4,800mAh battery and Chrome OS. Now that is uses an ARM-based processor, it also opens the door for tinkerers to brew Android OS for the notebook, which makes it an even more enticing machine.

Given the popularity of netbooks in Asia, even when it's dying elsewhere, it's mindboggling why Google and Samsung don't try to push the Chromebook as a worthy alternative for the once ubiquitous device. Do you think Google should  release the new Chromebook in Asian countries and other emerging markets? Will you buy one if they keep the price the same?

Related Posts

Acer to launch an Intel powered smartphone by the end of 2012

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:16 AM PDT

Acer, a company that many of us know for their computers, has been making Android smartphones for quite a few number of years. The thing is, most of them don’t get any attention because they’re budget devices that don’t exactly use the best components on the market. According to The China Post, that’s soon going to change. They say that Peter Shieh, Vice President of Acer’s Business Division in Taiwan, told members of the press that the company is going to launch an Intel powered smartphone by the end of the year. Now before you get too excited, note that there’s a huge difference between launching a phone and selling a phone. Peter’s comments regarding an Intel phone were said at an event to celebrate the Acer S500 hitting the market. When was the Acer S500 announced? February. That’s a delay of 8 months. Can you see why we don’t take Acer seriously?

So why is an Intel powered smartphone important? Because during the next year or two we’re going to see an epic battle take place in the mobile phone market. Intel has been wanting to get into the smartphone space for years, and now they finally have the hardware to do it.

The recently launched Motorola RAZR i received above average reviews. People were pleasantly surprised that it preformed so well while still managing to last a full day on a single charge. We admit, the RAZR i might not be the fastest phone on the market, but with Intel, a company that’s known for relentlessly innovating, it’s not going to be long until we’re all demanding that the next flagship phone from Samsung or HTC have an x86 chip under the hood.

And hey, all that pressure is going to force Qualcomm and Samsung to design faster chips at an increased pace, so we’re going to win either way!

Related Posts

Huawei isn’t coming to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 launch because of America’s attitudes towards China

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:49 AM PDT

Microsoft is going to launch their next generation mobile phone operating system, Windows Phone 8, on October 29th in San Francisco. Huawei was supposed to be at that launch, but that no longer appears to be the case. Yu Chengdong, the CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, wrote a message on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, that reads:

“As the WP8 four starters manufacturers Huawei, one may be absent at the end of Microsoft’s of WP8 global release General Assembly. As a global the main Andrews manufacturers one Huawei, the end of the month the google next generation Nexus phone and tablet may not Huawei (Taiwanese manufacturers in Japan, South Korea, but on the inside). Sino-US political and economic storm, incomprehensible situation, I hope the guys do not be surprised!”

Rough Google translation aside, he’s basically pissed with how America is treating Huawei, so he decided that it’s better to skip the party in California so that Microsoft doesn’t get lambasted by government entities. According to Cellular News, Huawei will likely attend the UK launch of Windows Phone 8, because the UK doesn’t seem to have any issues dealing with China.

What does this have to do with Android? Huawei makes a hell of a lot of budget Android smartphones. For 200 Euros they’ll sell you something that has roughly the same specifications as the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini. If America doesn’t allow Huawei to compete on its shores, then that would mean companies would be free to charge however much they wanted since there’s one less player competing on price. America is a rich nation anyway, so this doesn’t matter too much, but we think it’s a damn shame that China is being treated like some sort of evil superpower.

It’s the cold war all over again, and everyone is losing.

Related Posts

Softbank CEO admits to considering MetroPCS bid

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 03:26 PM PDT

Image credit: Danny Choo

Some surprising things have happened surrounding Sprint over the past few days. According to comments made by Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, we may not have seen the last of them either.

Just a few days ago, in a move that almost nobody expected to happen, Sprint acquired Clearwire, picking up a large chunk of spectrum in the process. Since Sprint was in the process of closing the deal on its recent acquisition by Softbank, it didn’t seem likely that they would be buy any companies during that time period.

After that acquisition, it would be reasonable to expect that no new purchases would be made for a while, but Son’s comments in a recent Wall Street Journal interview seem to point otherwise. Son said “We shouldn’t rule out any opportunity or alternative.” When pressed for details, Son wouldn’t go into specifics, simply saying “I will be aggressive—that’s all.”

While Sprint was already in place as the third largest wireless carrier in the U.S., behind Verizon and AT&T, a Softbank buyout of MetroPCS would help Sprint to close the gap between themselves and AT&T. Softbank’s acquisition of Sprint has already given the company money it desperately needed to strengthen its position.

Before Softbank paid $20 billion for a 70 percent stake of the company, Sprint was looking at a costly network upgrade that would likely be slowed down by lack of funding. Now they are in a better position to upgrade their network as well as take any other opportunities that may come along.

Softbank will take its position as majority shareholder of Sprint over the course of a few steps. First, Softbank will buy $3 million worth of bonds that convert to Sprint shares and pay the rest in two later installments.

CEO of Sprint, Dan Hesse said “Think of it almost as an insurance policy,” adding “It’s some money in the bank until the deal closes that, for some reason, if we wanted to do something we could.” Given the events of the last week, it’s looking more and more likely that Sprint may indeed find a use for that money, whatever it may be.

Do you think that a Softbank acquisition of MetroPCS could happen? Or was Softbank’s CEO merely thinking out loud during the interview?

Related Posts

Sony Xperia Odin C650X spotted in the wild

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 02:57 PM PDT

We have recently seen a few 'leaked' Sony Nexus X photos that were the result of a complex production effort and therefore they were not showing the real thing. But while the Nexus X isn't a real device, at least for now, we did hear that a Sony Xperia Odin – model number C650X – is in the works. And now we have a leaked picture for it.

The device is supposed to be a phablet ready to take on similar products from the competition, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the HTC J Butterfly or the LG Intuition. However, it's only today that we got to look at an image of the smartphone, which has been apparently photographed in the wild – and I'm not just speaking metaphorically.

The image above, found by Italian blog Androic Caotic on Japanese site Rbmen, shows a device that has clear "Sony" and "Xperia" markings. And from the looks of it, we're looking at a very large almost-bezel-free edge-to-edge display, which is quite an interesting design choice for the phablet.

The handset is not turned on, and we have no confirmation that this is indeed the Odin phablet, so we'll remind you, as always, to take such leaks with a grain of salt.

According to existing reports, the Odin will feature a 5-inch full HD display (1920 x 1080 resolution), a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM.

When it comes to release date and pricing, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Odin unveiled in just a few months, at CES 2013, although we're probably see more Odin-related leaks in the mean time.

Anybody already interested in a Sony phablet?

Thanks, tipster!

Related Posts

LG tells the story of the latest multitasking brain wave, QSlide

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 02:09 PM PDT

LG steps up its mobile game with the new innovative multitasking function ‘QSlide’, featured on the Optimus G, quite possibly the company’s most ambitious device on the market to date.

Similar features can be found on other devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S III, and the new Note II. However, LG’s take on multitasking allows users to simultaneously run two applications, whilst exploiting the entire 4.7-inch display by having both applications become translucent upon QSlide activation. This will allow users to enjoy luxuries such as typing up an email whilst watching a video, or compose a text whilst viewing movie show times on a web browser.

LG wants to particularly emphasise the fact that instead of having a cramped screen by running two applications back to back on one display, you can simultaneously have full functionality of two apps, both utilizing the entire display. This is what makes LG’s concept essentially unlike any other multitasking feature on other devices.

As with almost every other previous LG device, a video explaining LG’s approach of pushing Android’s capabilities forwards is featured. In this case, senior research engineer Sebastian Hochan Song is explaining the concepts and inspiration behind the new phone’s QSlide function, in the clip below:

How do you think LG’s stab at multitasking compares to other recent endeavours to push Android devices forwards? Let us know in the comments section!

Related Posts

HTC DLX (Deluxe) images reveal Verizon’s HTC J Butterfly

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 01:09 PM PDT

The 5-inch HTC J Butterfly smartphone has been recently unveiled in Japan, but the phablet contender will soon arrive in other markets as well. In fact, we've known for a while that the handset was heading to the U.S. via Verizon, and we have more pictures of the smartphone to prove it.

Android Central has posted several images showing a HTC handset with Verizon branding, and from the looks of it, we're looking at a first U.S. version of the J Butterfly.

The device is apparently called HTC DLX, which doesn't stand for HTC Droid Incredible X as it was previously believed, but for HTC Deluxe. According to Engadget, trusted Twitter account @evleaks reveals that the J Butterfly is actually codenamed Deluxe J In its bootloader menu.

Nevertheless, Verizon may choose to rebrand it as whatever it wants, so we won't rule out Droid Incredible X as a potential product name for the 5-inch handset.

Specs wise, the HTC DLX seems to be identical to its Japanese twin. A phone profile screen reveals that the handset will feature a 5-inch 1080p display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Other features include 16GB of memory, Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, Beats audio and 4G LTE support, as clearly indicated on the back of the device – not that we expect Verizon to launch any smartphone without LTE support.

Release dates and pricing are not available at this time for the DLX, but we'll keep you updated – it's worth mentioning that Verizon will have quite a few phablet models in store this Christmas season, in case you're shopping for such devices: LG Intuition, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and HTC DLX. What are you buying?

Related Posts

    No related posts.

    Make missed calls obsolete with CritiCall

    Posted: 21 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT

    We’ve all been there, anxiously checking our phones, making sure we didn’t miss that important call we’ve been expecting. Maybe your wife is pregnant. Maybe you just interviewed for a new job.

    Regardless, you know something big is coming your way, and if you leave your silenced phone by itself for nary a minute, you stand a chance of missing it.

    Fortunately, with CritiCall, those worries become a thing of the past.

    At the core of it, CritiCall will override your phone’s volume settings if a particular person (or people) call you. It’s a simple premise, but one that works surprisingly well, especially in an app market filled to the brim with options.

    Once you have CritiCall installed, you’ll probably notice how clean its user interface is. On the main screen, there’s only three options up-front: turning CritiCall on or off, and deciding how loud your phone’s ringer will be.

    In the event you turn CritiCall off, you’ll be taken to a second screen where you can set a time to auto-resume using CritiCall. It’s a seamless, perfect way to make sure you only have the service turned on when you want it, without having to make you remember to turn it on when, say, you wake up the next morning.

    Down at the bottom of the screen is where you make all the magic happen: the Contacts button. Hitting this button takes you to a list of every contact you have in your phone book. Tapping a name prompts you with a final confirmation that you want to make a contact critical, and if you, that person is added to your list.

    Long-pressing a contact pulls up a custom settings menu for only that contact. Within this menu, you can add them to a group (or create a group if you have none), decide if this contact is always critical, and add custom settings (like critical hours for a specific person instead of the entire app).

    If you want to remove someone as a critical contact, tap their name when you’re on the critical contacts menu. (It’s exactly the same as adding someone, just from a different list.)

    In my experience, CritiCall works flawlessly. I first discovered it when I was expecting a call from a new employer over the summer, and it worked like a charm. Since then, I’ve always kept it installed on my phone, with important contacts added to my list.

    If you yourself are interested in never missing a critical call ever again, CritiCall is only 99 cents in the Google Play Store.

    Related Posts
    Posted by at 3:53 PM 0 comments
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)